Most of you know this as synthetic diamond and probably a
few of you have some of these gems at home.
They are sparkly and beautiful and can be almost any color.
It may surprise you to know that the main use of zirconia is
in the production of ceramics as in dentistry.
It’s used in reconstruction, such as crowns or bridges. Stabilized zirconia is used in oxygen
sensors. It also has potential
applications as an insulator in transistors.
A brilliant cut cubic zirconia - pic courtesy of Wikipedia
When used in jewelry it has a high index of refraction and
the same crystal structure as diamond.
It’s very difficult to determine the difference of a diamond and
zirconia by visual testing alone. A
thermal conductivity test needs to be performed. Diamond is a good thermal conductor where
zirconia isn’t.
I did not know that about zirconia. Believe it or not, I managed to break two ceramic crowns while my dentist was trying to install them (she said "bite down," I bit down and CRUNCH! My guess is zirconia isn't quite as hard as diamond).
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on finishing the Challenge! I enjoyed your entries!
John,
DeleteWell that is quite a story about the crowns. I haven't heard of anyone breaking them before. Indeed, this must not be hard as diamond.
Sunni